In drilling an oil well, a variety of operations may be carried out on a wellbore. For certain operations, the accurate positioning of a tool within the well may be critical. As an example, operations such as acidizing, fracturing, flow testing, washing perforations or pressure testing may specifically target a certain section of wellbore. In these operations, the targeted section of wellbore may be isolated from the wellbore areas both above and below. For these operations, a “straddle packer” assembly may be utilized.
A straddle packer may include inflatable packers positioned on either side of the wellbore section to be treated. Connecting the packers is a tubular member which may include at least one selectively openable port. In order to effectively treat the section of wellbore, positioning of the straddle packer is very important, as the targeted section of wellbore must be between the upper and lower packers so that the ported tubular may act thereon. While the packers are inflated, until contact is made with the wellbore, the straddle packer assembly may move undesirably within the wellbore. Additionally, to ensure the straddle packer assembly remains in position, a portion of the contact area between each packer and the wellbore is typically made up of metal slats. The slats, though effective in preventing movement of the packer, are not as effective in sealing against the wellbore as the flexible outer bladder of the packer.